Jaw pain is a fairly typical problem reported by people after a car crash, and it can be confusing for some health practitioners to find the source of the problem. Complicating the matter, very often you won't develop TMJ symptoms until many weeks or months after the incident.
Dr. Robert Ramsey has helped many people with jaw pain after an injury, and the medical literature explains what causes these types of symptoms. During a collision, the tissues in your spine are oftentimes stretched or torn, causing ligament, muscle, or nerve injury. This can obviously cause pain in the neck and back, but since your nervous system is one functioning unit, inflammation of the nerves can cause pain in other parts of your body.
For instance, with radicular pain, irritation of a nerve can cause prickling or numbness in the arm or hand. Similarly, it can affect parts of your body above the injury, like your head and jaw. Headaches after a crash are very common because of neck injury, and the TMJ works the same way. Dr. Robert Ramsey sees this very commonly in our Gresham, OR office.
Research indicates that the root of many jaw or TMJ symptoms starts in the cervical spine and that treatment of the underlying neck injury can resolve the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The key to resolving these symptoms is simple: Dr. Robert Ramsey will work to return your spinal column back to health, alleviating the inflammation, treating the injured tissues, and eliminating the irritation to the nerves in your spine.
Dr. Robert Ramsey has found that jaw and headache symptoms often resolve once we restore your spine to its healthy state.
If you live in Gresham, OR and you've been injured in a car crash, Dr. Robert Ramsey can help. We've been working with auto injury patients since 1997, and we can most likely help you, too. Give our office a call today at (503) 667-6744 for an appointment or consultation.
Ciancaglini R, Testa M, Radaelli G. Association of neck pain with symptoms of temporomandibular dysfunction in the general adult population. Scandinavian Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 1999;31:17-22.
Brantingham JW, Cassa TK, Bonnefin D, Pribicevic M, Robb A, et al. Manipulative and multimodal therapy for upper extremity and temporomandibular disorders: a system review. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2013;36(3):143-201.
Dr. Robert Ramsey and the talented team at Gresham Family Chiropractic have been providing the best chiropractic care available to patients in Gresham, OR since 1997. We treat many conditions related to back pain, neck pain, headaches, and sciatica. Dr. Ramsey also specializes in the treatment of auto accident injuries and work injuries sustained on the job.
